Oct. 10, 2016
By Arielle Sargent, GoPSUSports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Football enters its 2016 bye week at 4-2 on the year, after taking down Maryland in front of a Homecoming crowd Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The bye week comes at a good time for the Nittany Lions, who have battled injuries across the board throughout the first six weeks of the season.
"We need this time off," head coach James Franklin said. "Some of our injuries, they're not going to heal in a week, but some will."
The Nittany Lions will have plenty of time to heal during the bye week, that comes on the strength of a dominant 38-14 win against the Terrapins. Penn State put up more than 30 points for the fourth time this season and the first time since 2013. The Nittany Lions are averaging 30.5 points per game, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten standings, helped out by a standout showing from quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley last week.
McSorley, who went 10-for-19 against the Terps, threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He's currently ranked second in the league standings with 1,436 passing yards. Barkley, who rushed for 202 yards and one touchdown, enters the off week atop the Big Ten standings with 582 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on the year. He also earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, marking the first time the Nittany Lions have earned the honor since Bill Belton in 2013.
A few more bright spots from the Maryland win ...
Allen and Sanders Boost Run Game Success
While it's obvious Penn State's run game success against Maryland wasn't a solo effort, Nittany Lion running backs sophomore Mark Allen and true freshman Miles Sanders each found success in the rotation. Allen logged his most productive performance of the season, totaling a season-high seven carries for 31 yards. Having entered the game in the second quarter, three of his attempts set up a new set of downs for the Nittany Lions, including a career-long 17 yard carry in the final drive of the game.
Sanders has continued to show growth for the Nittany Lions as a kick returner, tying a career-high mark with three returns against the Terps. He totaled 50 yards on the three returns, including one for 23 yards in the second quarter. Sanders closed out the day with a 25-yard carry on his first and only rushing attempt of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring his first career touchdown.
Running back Saquon Barkley had all positive things to say following Sanders' first-career touchdown.
"I'm so happy that he was able to get in the end zone," Barkley said. "When I saw him score I gave him a big hug I was so proud of him. He's been going through a little adversity this year, but he stepped up big and got in the end zone today."
Check out Sanders' thoughts on the touchdown and his progress this season below.
Smith Picks Off Hills
Ever since junior linebacker Brandon Smith moved into the linebacker rotation, he has made an impact. In his debut against Temple, he logged eight tackles and helped limit the Owls to just 38 rushing yards. Smith blew past his career high against Maryland, leading the team with 14 tackles, combining with linebacker Koa Farmer for a tackle for loss in the third quarter. Maryland also entered Saturday's matchup averaging 300 rushing yards per game, as Smith helped the Nittany Lions once again, holding the Terps to 170 yards on the ground, including 84 in the first half.
Smith also highlighted his career day with his first career interception, picking off Maryland quarterback Perry Hills on the Terrapins 45-yard line on fourth and-1. He earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors, marking the second straight week the Nittany Lions have earned the award. Smith's weekly honor also marks the first time Penn State has claimed back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week nods since earning three consecutive in 2012.
Smith talks about his first career interception and how he has grown in his new leadership role.
Farmer's Career Day
Two weeks ago Franklin announced that sophomore Koa Farmer would make the move from safety to linebacker for the Nittany Lions due to the injuries among the linebacker unit. Settling in to his new role at linebacker, Farmer sacked Maryland quarterback Perry Hills for a loss of five yards, while also forcing his first career fumble, which was quickly recovered by Torrence Brown. On the day, Farmer finished with five tackles in addition to the sack and forced fumble and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Penn State TFL Totals
In total, Penn State matched a season high with 10.0 tackles for loss against Maryland, the most since the Nittany Lions had 10.0 against Kent State in the season opener. The Nittany Lions also added four sacks, which stands as the second-highest total since registering seven against Kent State in week one. With at least 9.0 tackles for loss in all but one game this season, Penn State's averaging 8.7 tackles for loss on the year, which ranks second in the conference and ninth nationally in the FBS standings.